Thursday, March 31, 2011

March - Month 3 Recap

3 months?! Really?! Oh my gosh that happened fast. For the past couple of weeks, I've been tackling a big huge thing on our list - sell our house and move! We have a contact on the house and are set to close on the 15th of April! We move in a week and have no clue where we're going, but we're keeping life exciting? My list is really starting to take shape, but I have a lot to do still! Ok, so here's the update - things done in the past are in red, things done in March are in green! (It's the luck of the Irish!)

1. Lose weight. Meh...
2. Publish some music.
3. Write a book. The writing has begun! Look for it to be released on my birthday!
4. Write a business plan for a potential music studio.
5. Throw Kyle a great 30th birthday party. DONE!
6. Sell our house and move. Sold! Move will happen this month!
7. Finish scrapbooking 2006.
8. Start a once a month bunco group.
9. Take a class once a month and learn something new. March - took an earring class with Jenica!
10. Clean out the clothes I will never ever wear again, either because they don't fit, or no 30 year old should wear them. DONE!
11. Finish one book a month. Um, I missed March, but I read two in January, so that counts. Yeah.
12. Kyle. A lady doesn't kiss and tell, but of course this one is done. :)
13. Get rid of my Mary Kay inventory and go to an order only system.
14. Get my wedding album ordered.
15. Decide on a go to cocktail. It's true, I love a good glass of Riesling wine. It's definitely my first choice. In fact, I'm having some as I write this post!
16. Try a new recipe every week. Uhh, yeah. I'm moving. This was a dumb one.
17. Ride a horse.
18. Blog about my adventures, print them out, and put it in a book for my kids to read one day. Blogging, done!
19. Take at least 1 picture every day. This was also dumb. I'm doing a better job of documenting my life, and that was the main goal.
20. Catalogue the choir music at church. Shelving is bought, just waiting for someone to help me put it together. :)
21. Take a getaway trip with my hubby.
22. Miss a Sunday of church. (Haven't done this since October of 2009. Yikes!)
23. Sew a quilt. Just for me.
24. Learn to play the hammered dulcimer.
25. Watch the entire series of Sex and the City.
26. Have lunch with my mom once a month. March - done! Granted, it was a turkey sandwich on the couch, but that was the best we could do.
27. Spend time with my girls once a month. Had a great girls night with Jenica last week with our bead class and Gloria's!
28. Eat a four course dinner for free.
29. Make an apron.
30. Say goodbye to my 20s in style!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Ash Wednesday Reflections

Rarely do I get a chance to kneel at the altar and spend time in prayer. During communion I always have to hurry back up to the piano, and if there is anything special, such as kneeling for ashes on Ash Wednesday, I'm playing, so forget that, too.

Tonight I got to kneel down at the altar and get my ashes on my forehead after service. The sanctuary was dark except for a few lights, and after I got my ashes, I was by myself. So I sat. And listened.

The last few years I haven't given anything up for Lent, and it's not because I didn't want to, I just felt that there was so much I had "given up" (or really, they had been taken away from me) and I didn't feel like I could give up anything else. This year really is no better. So as I sat at the altar and wondered, "What's left to even give up?" I felt God talking to me: "What's left? You may think you lost the life that you wanted, but do you think that's all I gave up? What makes you think you deserve any of this to begin with?"

It's true. I don't deserve to know exactly what is the plan for my life, or to know what the next step is. There's a LOT more I could give up. That doesn't make any of this uncertainty any easier, I'm not gonna lie.

This year for Lent, I'm giving up my need to have it all planned it, and focus on the cross on my forehead.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Weekly Recap - Week 9

As predicted, I made some good progress this week! This was one of the busiest weeks I have during the year, but I still managed to get some good things going. Here's the run down for the week:

3. Write a book - My book is in full swing. I've made some great progress this week, and I'm looking forward to knocking it out!

8. Start a once a month bunco group - Plans are moving!

16. Try a new recipe every week - I ate an interesting Mexican Pizza for the first time this week!

19. A picture a day - I got most days! Pictures coming tomorrow!

I'm excited about what I've started on this week, and can't wait to see what's in store! I have one more really busy week of accompanying, but I'm not letting this week get by either!